Archive for the ‘Mercedes-Benz’ tag

She wasn’t an engineer, or a race car driver, or the founder of an automobile company. But Mercedes Jellinek, born 125 years ago today, left an indelible mark on the automobile industry, thanks to her doting father and his attachment to her name.

Emil Jellinek with his daughter Mercedes. Courtesy of the Mercedes-Benz Classic archives

Mercedes Adrienne Ramona Manuela Jellinek, born in Vienna, was the first daughter born to Austro-Hungarian businessman and diplomat Emil Jellinek and his first wife, Rachel Goggmann Cenrobert. Jellinek, a self-made businessman and the son of a Viennese rabbi, was an early automotive enthusiast who was to become Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft’s best and most difficult customer. Always wanting to go faster, in 1896 he wrote to Daimler to order four cars, but only if they could attain 25 MPH.

Founder Gottlieb Daimler and engineer Wilhelm Maybach were reluctant to put a powerful engine in a small chassis – even then, the way to better performance – but the offer was too good to turn down. Jellinek was pleased with his new hot rod, and managed to sell the other three to another motoring enthusiast, Baron Arthur de Rothschild. (He caught Rothschild’s attention by passing his Panhard on a hill, and sold him the first of three Daimlers on the spot.)

Jellinek was having such a good time selling Daimlers that he ordered six more – these were to have front-mounted four-cylinder engines, rather than the previous cars’ two-cylinder engines. Again, Daimler and Maybach were reluctant, but again they found the offer too good to refuse. Jellinek entered the first of these cars in the Nice Automobile Week races, and, like many other racers of the time, competed under a pseudonym, adopting a name dear to his heart: Mr. Mercedes.

Emil Jellinek at the wheel of his 16-hp Phoenix racing car in 1899. Courtesy of the Mercedes-Benz Classic archives

Jellinek did well with his new car, but did not win either the road race or the hillclimb. Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft would have to do better. They built a huge, powerful car for the 1900 Nice Week, but tragedy struck when factory foreman Wilhelm Bauer lost control at the first corner and was killed when the car hit a wall. At DMG headquarters in Cannstatt, which had just recently suffered the shock of losing Gottlieb Daimler a few days earlier, the decision was made to withdraw from racing.

Jellinek strongly disagreed. “If you do not enter, the conclusion will be drawn that you are unable to enter,” he wrote. An abandonment of racing, he continued, would be “commercial suicide.” He offered another alternative: a lower, lighter, wider, longer and all-around better race car. He wanted an engine of at least 35 hp, or seven horsepower more than the car in which Bauer had been killed. And he promised to buy 36 such cars, at the equivalent of $130,000 in 1900 dollars. In exchange, Jellinek asked for two things: One, he wanted to have the exclusive sales agency for Austro-Hungary, France, Belgium and the United States. And two, he wanted the car named after his daughter, Mercedes. The factory agreed.

Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft’s 35-hp Mercedes of 1901, designed by Wilhelm Maybach. Courtesy of the Mercedes-Benz Classic archives

The first Mercedes was an even bigger success than Jellinek could have hoped for, dominating the 1901 Nice Week events by winning the hillclimb, the distance race and the sprint. He capitalized on that success by replacing the speedster’s two seats with a four-place touring body and cruising the Promenade des Anglais to let everyone know that the race car was, in fact, a passenger car that they could buy. Lighter, more powerful and faster than the cars that had come before, the new Mercedes changed the world overnight. In 1905, Emil changed his last name to Jellinek-Mercedes, quipping, “This is probably the first time that a father has taken his daughter’s name.”

Mercedes Jellinek at 11 years. Courtesy of the Mercedes-Benz Classic archives

Mercedes Jellinek was 11 years old when the car bearing her name appeared. Hers would not be such a charmed life; her adult years were marked by illness and two marriages, and she would die in a Vienna apartment before reaching the age of 40.

Mercedes’s mother had died in 1893, and Emil had remarried in 1899. Though she was surrounded by all the material comforts that a child of high society might expect, passing her time in luxury villas and on yachts, she felt increasingly neglected by her father.

Mercedes Jellinek at 15 years. Courtesy of the Mercedes-Benz Classic archives

Searching for a happier life, she married Baron Karl von Schlosser in 1909; with him, she took on the role of wife and mother, and bore two children, Elfriede and Hans-Peter.

Mercedes Jellinek and her husband, Karl von Schlosser, presumably on their honeymoon, in front of the Cathedral of San Marco in Venice, 1909. Courtesy of the Mercedes-Benz Classic archives

Her family’s fortunes were already in decline by the time World War I broke out in 1914; in fact, Emil had fallen out with Daimler, losing his sole right to sell Mercedes cars in 1905. The French government suspected him of spying for the Germans, and eventually confiscated his entire property. By the time he died in January 1918, the war had ruined Mercedes’s family’s fortunes, too, forcing her husband to find work as a civil servant.

She fled this unhappy life in 1923, marrying Baron Rudolf Wiegl, a destitute sculptor. Wiegl was in poor health, and died soon after the marriage. Mercedes Freifrau von Weigl, née Jellinek-Mercedes, died of bone cancer in Vienna on February 23, 1929, not even having reached the age of 40. She was buried in Vienna in the family grave, near her grandfather, Rabbi Adolf Jellinek.

Not much more than the broad outline of her life was known until 2012, when a collection of materials from the estate of her son Hans-Peter Schlosser was donated to the Mercedes-Benz Classic archives. Among this collection were some 300 photographs, and they show a young woman enjoying life, riding horses, holding her newborn children. One even shows her at the wheel of a Mercedes Grand Prix car, though there’s no evidence that she ever had much of an interest in automobiles.

Mercedes Jellinek, right, on the high seas, circa 1910. Courtesy of the Mercedes-Benz Classic archives

Mercedes Jellinek, on horseback at the Jellinek family’s villa in Baden near Vienna, approximately 1905. Courtesy of the Mercedes-Benz Classic archives

It’s her passport that reveals one detail that’s invisible in all of the black-and-white photos: Her hair was chestnut brown, and her eyes were green.

Mercedes Benz built its iron-clad W123 series cars from 1975 to 1986, amassing a fleet worldwide just shy of 2.7 million vehicles. Most of those cars (about 2.4 million) were standard wheelbase sedans like this 1982 Mercedes-Benz 240D, for sale on Hemmings.com, while 199,517 were wagons and 99,884 were coupes.

Oil burners were the most popular with buyers — which included a lot of taxi and fleet operators — and the stingy 2.4-liter four in the 240D led the charge for M-B diesels powering 448,986 sedans. By 1982 however, the OM617 3-liter, five-cylinder turbodiesel was gaining ground, particularly here in the states, where it powered fully half of all Mercedes-Benzes sold.

Mercedes expected owners to get hundreds of thousands of miles out of their light diesels without a major overhaul and these cars really are reliable if properly looked after. Due to the 30 pounds of vinyl undercoating applied to the underside of every one, they’re not as prone to the rust problems that plagued other cars of this vintage and, with parts still available from Mercedes-Benz dealers as well as a myriad of other sources, W123 series Benzes are endlessly rebuildable.

In traffic, W 123 diesels, even the turbodiesels, feel lazy pitted against modern fuel-injected gasoline powered vehicles with variable valve timing and five, six, seven and eight speed transmissions. But all out on the highway, the Benz’s Autobahn breeding becomes very apparent: these cars seem more stable, smooth and quiet at 75 mph than at 35 mph.

This particular example, complete with a no-nonsense four-speed manual gearbox and crank windows, is located in our home state of Vermont, where W123s are quite popular. We’d want to check beneath the hood, and perhaps review the car’s maintenance history, but at first glance the diesel sedan looks like it’s ready for a long-distance roadtrip today. From the seller’s description:

What was the world’s finest car in 1964? Those who thought they knew the answer – Rolls-Royce, just like always – found their presumptions challenged by Stuttgart’s new 2-3/4-ton flagship, the 600. Demand from the world’s VIPs was sufficient to keep the 600 in production until 1981, though just 2,677 would be built. This 1972 Mercedes-Benz 600 Limousine for sale on Hemmings.com pampers its occupants with amenities that include hydraulically-operated windows and seats, a self-shutting trunk lid, self-leveling air suspension and, for passenger use only, a set of crystal shot glasses. When new, it listed for nearly $33,000, which was double the price of the competing Rolls-Royce, and four times that of the Cadillac Fleetwood 75 limo. This wheelbase stretches 126 inches, though buyers who found that confining could opt for the Pullman, with its additional 28 inches of legroom. Today, as ever, the big Benz quietly commands your respect. From the seller’s description:

This Arizona car has been in the family since 1979 and has never seen snow. The car has been driven once weekly from its home in an environmentally controlled setting. The odometer currently reads 66k miles. Included are service records, original manual, and other promotional Mercedes documentation. This meticulously engineered historic vehicle is original gray with chrome trim, and features an M-100 6.3 liter overhead camshaft fuel injected light alloy V-8 engine producing 300 horsepower 434-lb.ft/ torque. Details and extras include beautiful wood trim and black leather throughout, power sunroof, center console bar with original Stabilo Therm flask and crystal shot glasses, curtains, power seats, power windows, cruise control, radio with rear controls, air conditioning front and rear, and dual tone horn. Riding in this car is like gliding on a cushion of air, as its airbag suspension removes all imperfections in the road, a pleasure to drive. Serious inquiries only. Selling as is.

What price peace of mind? At Bonhams’s inaugural sale at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, one bidder answered that question by paying €82,200 ($112,831, including fees) for a 1976 Mercedes-Benz Unimog 406 Doppelkabine 4×4 Utility, ensuring his ability to get from point A to point B regardless of weather or road conditions. While not a world-record price, the high bid was nearly double the €40,000-€50,000 ($54,905-$68,632) pre-auction estimate.

Renowned for its off-road capabilities, the Unimog was developed by Mercedes-Benz to meet the needs of both military and commercial buyers. With an endless supply of accessories and configurations available, Unimogs (derived from the German “Universal Motor Gerät,” with Gerät translating to “device” or “appliance”) are frequently used in the civilian world as snowplows, firefighting brush trucks, cranes, augers, dump trucks and brush mowers, while military applications range from troop transports to radio trucks and even ambulances. Long on off-road performance thanks to low gearing, oversize tires and portal axles, Unimogs are not known for their creature comforts.

The double-cab example sold in Stuttgart began its life as a German Army aircraft tug, and thus spent much of its downtime in airplane hangars, out of the elements, leading to a rust-free body and frame. Equipped with a front power take-off and a “Schmidt Plate” to attach tools to, such as a snowplow or front loader, the five passenger Unimog’s sole concession to comfort appears to be a Webasto cabin heater. Sold with its original 84 horsepower, six-cylinder, diesel engine (showing 3,300 hours of use), the Unimog also featured new wheels and tires and a reupholstered interior. Used by its previous owner as a hunting support vehicle, the high price realized was a testament to both the truck’s condition and the desire for one bidder to park this example on his own estate.

The top seller was this 1934 Mercedes-Benz 500 K special roadster, which sold for a fee-inclusive $4,231,183.

Long forgotten among Mercedes-Benz’s pre-war racing efforts was a 1938 Mercedes-Benz 540 K Streamliner, originally built for a high-speed endurance race that never occurred. Now, thanks to the discovery of the car’s original blueprints, this one-of-a kind grand touring coupe has been recreated by Mercedes-Benz Classic and will make its public debut at this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

The years preceding World War II saw an emphasis on the development of high-performance automobiles on both sides of the Atlantic. In Europe, motor racing was a source of great national pride, and when an endurance race between Berlin and Rome was suggested, Mercedes-Benz was entrusted with producing a car that would capture victory for Germany. With less than a year to develop a suitable entry before the race’s proposed 1938 running, the engineers at Mercedes-Benz turned to a well-established high-performance platform, the 540 K. Equipped with a supercharger to increase the output of its 5.4-liter, inline eight-cylinder engine, the 540 K’s 180 horsepower could produce speeds approaching 145 KPH (90 MPH) when the 540 K chassis was fitted with a more aerodynamic body than the automaker’s standard offering.

An aero-bodied Mercedes-Benz 540 K. The Streamliner produced significantly less drag.

To capture victory in the Berlin-to-Rome run, even more speed would be needed, so the engineers at Mercedes’s “Special Car Construction” shop turned to aircraft design for inspiration. The body sketched by the group featured a low greenhouse, with a curved windshield and roof that tapered to a teardrop shape as it flowed to the rear of the car. Headlamps were integrated into the front fenders to reduce drag, and the center-mounted “Autobahn light” was recessed into the grill to minimize wind resistance. Door handles were flush with the body, panel gaps were minimized and even the iconic three-pointed star on the car’s grill was replaced by a painted image on the Streamliner’s hood, all to reduce the effects of the wind flowing across its surfaces. The effort produced the desired effect; while other aerodynamic 540 K bodies produced a drag coefficient of 0.57, the effort put into the design of the Streamliner reduced the coefficient of drag to just 0.36.

Rebuilding the Streamliner’s 5.4-liter, inline eight-cylinder engine.

This, however, created problems for the powertrain team, as the standard differential gearing would run the risk of over-revving the engine at the car’s top speed. To compensate, the 540 K’s gearing was changed from 3.08:1 to 2.90:1, trading acceleration for a higher top speed. In testing, the changes produced the desired effect, delivering a top speed of 185 KPH (115 MPH) and a comfortable cruising speed of 170 KPH (106 MPH).

Building the car’s ash wood body frame.

Though the 540 K Streamliner seemed powerful enough to capture a victory in the proposed Berlin-to-Rome race, no one knew if the tires of the day would prove capable of carrying such a heavy load at sustained speeds over long distances. Instead of further developing the Streamliner for competition, Mercedes-Benz opted to focus on a more proven variant of the 540 K for the event, which turned out to be a moot point as the 1938 running was delayed until 1939.

Meanwhile, tire manufacturer Dunlop had contracted with Mercedes-Benz for a high-speed variant of the 540 K to advance its racing tire design. Completed in the spring of 1938, the special construction 540 K Streamliner was delivered to Dunlop in June by a Daimler-Benz dealership in Frankfurt am Main, and for nearly a year the car was used for its intended purpose. The newly-constructed (and sparsely traveled) German Autobahn proved ideal for high-speed tire testing, and the Streamliner reportedly racked up miles at speed in a variety of conditions, proving the car had the potential its engineers had envisioned.

The onset of World War II put an end to the proposed Berlin-to-Rome rally and soon after an end to non-essential travel by automobile. To preserve the 540 K Streamliner’s functional life, it was converted to run on LP gas, and it remained in the possession of Dunlop until late in the war. Records show it was later pressed into service by the United States Army, sprayed a standard-issue shade of olive drab in compliance with military regulations. In the postwar years, the car was returned to Dunlop, which later returned it to Mercedes-Benz; then, in April of 1948, the car was de-registered and most of its aluminum body was scrapped. The car’s frame and running gear were preserved, however, entering the collection of the Mercedes-Benz Museum in 1950.

The 1938 Mercedes-Benz 540 K Streamliner as it looked in 1938.

It was this frame and unique rear axle that ultimately alerted Mercedes-Benz historians to the overlooked gem in their collection, and when a full-scale drawing of the car’s original body was discovered in the archives, interest in recreating the car grew. The project was given a green light in late 2011, but rebuilding such a car from the ground up would prove challenging even for the craftsmen at Mercedes-Benz Classic. Ash wood would need to be precisely formed to shape the frame for the car’s aluminum body, which itself would need to be created panel by panel. Mercedes-Benz estimates that the forming and construction of the body alone required more than 4,800 hours of work, making the restoration an expensive proposition even for the German luxury automaker. Original components and period-correct parts from Mercedes-Benz’s vast inventory were used wherever possible, but many items had to be fabricated in-house as part of the restoration process. Even the car’s original silver bronze color, discovered on a few scraps of the original body, was painstakingly duplicated to be as accurate as possible.

The 540 K Streamliner as it looks today.

Today, the 540 K Streamliner looks much the same as it would have when delivered to Dunlop for tire testing. Its gray leather seating and walnut-trimmed dash belie its utilitarian purpose, and it’s likely this particular Mercedes-Benz must have been the most oft-requested car of its day among Dunlop engineers. Out of the public eye since the late 1940s, the restored 1938 540 K will makes its official debut at the 2014 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

For around $30,000, you could buy a new or nearly new, full-size four-door sedan like the Toyota Avalon that will run for a billion trouble-free miles and ask only for routine maintenance and the occasional trip through the car wash. Or you could have this 1969 Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.3, the safest, fastest and most comfortable four-door production sedan of its day (according to Motor Trend back in June 1968). Before the days of AMG-tuned vehicles, M-B took the mechanical port fuel-injected 300-hp, 386.4 cu.in. V-8 out of its 600 limousine and stuffed it into the W109 chassis, then piled on the luxury goods (as standard equipment): leather trimmed seats, burled walnut interior trim, power windows, air conditioning, a four-speed automatic transmission and a Webasto sunroof. This ultimate executive Autobahn burner could hit 60 MPH in 7 seconds flat, with four adults on board, thanks to the 6.3′s 434-lb.ft. of torque and the car’s relatively low 3,828-pound curb weight. The 300 SEL 6.3′s air suspension can be a bank account breaker, but the owner of this one points out the maintenance that’s been performed. From the seller’s description:

This example is a well-maintained and regularly used car in the rare combination of black with a black leather interior. All of the frequent trouble spots with these complex cars have been addressed, including a freshly rebuilt Bosch mechanical fuel-injection pump and well-sorted, fully functional air suspension. The body is straight and rust-free and the interior, including wood and leather, is driver-quality and not in need of any immediate attention.

Body & Paint: The car was repainted the original Daimler-Benz Schwarz (Black) around 1993. It was a good quality paint job that is now showing some age with the usual touched-up chips in the front from normal driving. The chrome on the car is in good original condition, not perfect but not pitted either. It’s certainly in very nice shape. Underneath the car is absolutely no sign of rust. The only corrosion in the entire vehicle is in a very small localized area around the rubber drain nipple under the spare tire. The original trunk mat is present and in great shape.

Interior: Black leather interior was also correctly redone around 1993. It’s flawless, with no rips or wear and tear. Still smells fantastic. Seats are comfortable and supportive. Wood is in great shape, I have seen shinier wood in photos, but this is original and completely presentable. Headliner is sag free, all interior lights work as designed. Carpets and floor mats are original and in great shape. The steering wheel is in great shape, with no cracks in the center pad or rim. The dash has a small stress crack at the corner of the radio speaker grille, but it’s hardly noticeable. Original Becker works great, and plays through the center speaker in the dash. Power windows go up and down, power locks work, including locking the trunk and gas filler door automatically. All four windows were recently serviced and all are functional. The front passenger side window works, but needs a new motor.

Air Suspension: Works perfectly – up, down, or locked. All airbags have been replaced as needed. Air valves in great shape, as is air tank in nose of car. Tank is regularly bled of air and any condensation, and alcohol is kept topped off in the proper container to keep the system dry. The car will sit for a couple of weeks without any noticeable drop in the suspension, but I try to drive it a couple of times a month to keep things lubricated. The air pump is fine.

Engine & Transmission: This is a powerful motor by any standards, but at 6.3 liters, you are getting something truly exceptional here. Bosch mechanical fuel-injection pump recently rebuilt to the tune of $5,000. New rubber seals between intake runners and thermostat housing. Recently tuned with new ignition points in dual point distributor, new coil, plug wires, and spark plugs. Basically, everything this car has needed, it has received. Transmission shifts smoothly but firmly. (Under anything over half throttle, you will chirp the tires on the upshifts!) This is an early car, with the higher 9:1 compression. No emission controls that robbed the later ones of some power. Limited-slip differential is fine. Engine compartment is tidy and original. Exhaust has the proper crossover between the pipes and still uses the stock Mercedes twin inlet/twin outlet muffler at the rear. Sounds great!

Windows: All automatic windows are operational and motors were fixed in 2012. The passenger side window works, but needs a new motor.

Brakes: No problems with brakes. Front pads are only down about 25 percent from new, rears have negligible wear. New rubber hoses to the calipers. Stock factory vented disc brakes at all four corners. Rear brakes were serviced in November 2011.

Wheels & Tires: Currently on the car is a set of 6 x 14 chrome Bundt alloys and Kumho Solus 215/70R14 tires.

Performance: After two hours or two weeks, the engine will crank, fire, and settle to a perfect idle. Oil pressure goes up immediately to the peg over 45 pounds and stays there. Let it warm up for a minute and then drive off. That’s it- it’s wonderful. Car will pull smoothly and powerfully all the way to redline if you are so inclined. If you “give it the beans” from a dead stop, the car will downshift immediately into 1st gear (normally starts in 2nd) and leave two black stripes all the way through 2nd. I replaced the battery in November 2011 and the alternator in 2013.

The Mercedes-Benz Model 219 was not an easy sell in the U.S., where its $3,889 price tag in 1956 was within a C-note of a Chrysler 300B or a Cadillac Coupe de Ville. But look at what you got for your money: Unit-body construction, an overhead-camshaft straight-six, a four-speed gearbox and Old World craftsmanship. The 1958 models benefited from a bump in compression for the 2,195-cc six, raising horsepower to 100 and pushing the top speed to 92 MPH. The seller of this 1958 Mercedes-Benz 219 on Hemmings.com doesn’t make any claims of originality, but that looks a lot like original paint to us, and original vinyl on the door cards. The seats appear to have been redone. If it were ours, we’d chase down a set of properly sized tires (or change to 14-inch rims), detail the engine, limit the paintwork to touchups, and drive the schnitzel out of it. These are durable, usable cars, and to us, the conservative styling looks better with each passing year. From the seller’s description:

Inline six-cylinder with 4-speed manual transmission. Green with burgundy interior. Interior is in excellent condition. Needs paint to be complete. I have owned this car for over ten years. It is in good shape and runs and drives great.

The first of two 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL coupes, both black with red leather interiors, crossed the stage at the Gooding and Company auction in Scottsdale on Friday, and bidders have declared that an unrestored gullwing has a value of $1,897,500, including buyer’s fees. That handily exceeded both that auction company’s pre-sale estimate and the selling price of a restored gullwing at the same auction.

The selling point of the unrestored 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL was its originality. Though some of its black paint had been touched up over the years, the bulk of the finish was said to be original, and the red leather interior was the same one that the car left the factory with nearly six decades ago. Even the torn and sagging headliner was original to the car, leaving the new owner with difficult choice: refurbish the car as needed for preservation, or restore it to a factory-fresh state. Gooding originally estimated the unrestored gullwing’s selling price at between $1.1 million and $1.4 million.

The restored gullwing, which crossed the stage on Saturday, sold for a price of $1,402,500. As described in our earlier writeup of the car, this example left the factory painted red with a green tartan interior, but a subsequent restoration changed the livery to the less common black with red leather.

* When testing out a new chassis in the mid-1960s, Saab decided to drape four of the chassis with Saab 96 bodies widened by 20 centimeters. The Petrol Stop has the story on the resulting mules, which Saab took to calling the Toads.

* At about the same time, Mercedes-Benz decided to take one of its 600 four-door sedans and whack a good section out of the middle, creating a rather handsome personal luxury coupe that nobody would call a toad. Only one was ever built, as Ronan Glon at Ran When Parked wrote.

* Over at The Old Motor, David Greenless shows us a couple late 1930s Lincoln design studio images from The Henry Ford.

* While digging into six- and eight-wheeled cars earlier this week, we came across a couple we’d not previously encountered at the 24 Hours of Le Mans’s website, including Jean Rondeau’s 1977 endurance car prototype, which as we came to find out, was never built in full-size.

All of the usual suspects are on display in this candy store for Mercedes devotees: 300 SLs, a 1955 190 SL in graphite gray, a 2006 SLR McClaren, a replica 1886 Patent Wagen (we have one of those here in the Hemmings vehicle display!). There’s also a 1905 American Mercedes – it’s the big peach-colored car with red spoke wheels and a stuffed dog sitting on the grille – that you can climb aboard (you have to click directly on the floorboard). See that bank of brass valves across its dash? Those are oilers for the engine.

The brown 1962 300 SL roadster in race livery is a car that the Center built to race in vintage rallies, and that strange-looking little car over in the far corner (to the right as you face the reception desk and directly across from the SLR McLaren) is a 1935 130, one of the rare prewar, rear-engine Mercedes economy cars built to meet the demands of Depression-era buyers.

Few of these cars survive, as they never managed to be as inexpensive as the VW Beetle, and their handling suffered from having a watercooled, inline four-cylinder mounted aft of the rear wheels atop swing-axle rear suspension. (A strong gust of wind would throw them sideways.) You can click inside for an up-close look at the 130′s surprisingly well-appointed interior with wood trim. Even look up at the ceiling through the open top. (It’s a cabriolet sedan.)

When you’re done kicking tires, stroll out into the shop and look over some freshly primed parts, sit in a 300 Adenauer that’s in the process of being restored, peek in the paint booth at a red W113 Pagoda that’s having some work done, and look over some freshly machined engine parts on the work benches.